I tested the ski resort of La Plagne. By the way, I should say the La Plagne ski area because this resort is made up of several hamlets scattered on several slopes of a mountain range. The advantage of skiing is that you can go and discover them all in one day. La Plagne is one of the resorts of Tarentaise, a concentration of the largest ski areas in the world. It is in Savoy, between Moûtiers and Bourg Saint Maurice, and a train line serves this entire valley.
In this review, I will introduce you to the resort, its ski area, the landscapes you will admire and life after skiing.
The hamlets that make up La Plagne.
Historically, it is La Plagne Center, located at an altitude of 1970 meters which was the first core of the resort. We are in the 60s and it shows. The buildings are quite urban, aligned on the snow front. A shopping gallery sheltered from the cold is present inside the alignment of buildings. When skiing, we even pass under a building. From La Plagne Centre, we can reach the entire area: towards Aime 2000, towards the hamlets of La Plagne Village and La Plagne Soleil, towards La Plagne 1800 and towards the Bellecôte sector. The alignment of restaurants and bars on the snow front, in the sun, allows a nice break in the middle of the day in a festive atmosphere.
Above La Plagne Centre, we find Aime 2000, at almost 2100 meters above sea level. This group of very modern buildings, one of which looks like an ocean liner floating above the sea of clouds that sometimes invades the Isère valley below, has only one interest: that of allowing you to enjoy an extraordinary landscape of the surrounding massifs and especially of Mont Blanc. From a skiing point of view, the hamlet is located on the edge of the area, on an axis Verdons, Plagne Montalbert. But in a very rapid descent of a few seconds, you find yourself in Plagne Centre. A Telemetro connects Aime 2000 to La Plagne, even outside the opening hours of the ski area. Practical for going out after skiing.
Below La Plagne Centre, we find La Plagne 1800. Small hamlet of chalets, one of the last hamlets created by the resort. Ski lifts provide easy access to the rest of the area. On the other hand, the sun is less visible in this area, more in the shade of the mountains than the rest of the area.
A mention for the district of The rock, on the road that goes up from Aime and Mâcot. It is located in a small valley at an altitude of 1550 meters. There is a small car park, which gives access to a chairlift that takes skiers to the Aime 2000 side. Practical especially when you come to ski for the day, to avoid climbing up to 2000 meters in altitude and risking having to chain the vehicle.

Now let's go back to the side of La Plagne Village et La Plagne Soleil, two hamlets facing each other, near La Plagne Centre. The Telebus connects La Plagne Centre to La Plagne Villages. The rest is done on foot. It is not far, a few hundred meters at most. At more than 2000 meters above sea level, these two hamlets mainly composed of small residences intended for rentals, with harmonious but modern architecture, are very popular with families. You find yourself with your feet in the snow, you can walk on a snowy path to gain altitude, the sun is omnipresent from morning to evening and the ski slopes cross the hamlets. The ski basin is that of La Plagne Centre which you have to reach to go higher in the area. Practical in the morning to warm up a little on the way down. All these hamlets are equipped with restaurants and supermarkets. You will therefore be independent.
While all the hamlets presented are on the same mountain slope as La Plagne Centre, there are two that are slightly off-centre in a neighbouring valley. The disadvantage is that unless you take a shuttle or your car you will not go out in the evening in La Plagne Centre, the advantage is that since you have everything available on site you will mainly enjoy the silence and the beauty of the landscape of Belle Plagne and Plagne Bellecôte.
Belle Plagne is a real gem. Crossed by ski slopes, the hamlet is immaculate and covered in snow (at an altitude of 2050 meters). It is built on a slope, which means that you can take advantage of the thickness of the snow that settles on the roofs to feel the atmosphere of the winter mountains. The cars are parked in underground car parks, which means that there is no engine noise in the evening. It's my favorite!
Below, and to start your day of skiing when you are in Belle Plagne, there is the hamlet of Plagne Bellecote which centralizes the departures of the ski lifts towards the altitude, and in particular towards the Roche de Mio and the Glacier, the highest points of the ski area. In reality, this hamlet is made up of a very long building, a block of flats, not very harmonious but efficient. On one side the arrivals, the road, the services, inside the shops, and on the snow front side the restaurants and the slopes. Practical, nothing more, and of course if the sun shines until sunset at Belle Plagne, it disappears more quickly and plunges Plagne Bellecôte into the shadows from the last descents of the afternoon.

The La Plagne ski area is accessed via three other, more distant resorts. Plagne-Montalbert at 1350 meters allows you to go directly up towards Aime 2000 and La Plagne Centre. It is a small traditional village in which small residential buildings have been built. The altitude is much lower than the rest of the resort and the snow cover is sometimes limited. The climb to the ski area and the return by the slopes are long. But it is an option to pay a little less for the stay and drive a little less high to arrive at your destination. These are not insignificant elements to take into account when going to the resort.
The second remote station is the pair Montchavin et The Coaches. Les Coches is located just above Montchavin and represents the more modern district of Montchavin which remains a more traditional village. Staggered between 1250 and 1450 meters above sea level, linked by a cable car, these two villages provide access to a set of very beautiful slopes facing Mont Blanc. At the top of the lifts you come back down to the slopes of Plagne Bellecôte and Belle Plagne. Be careful when returning to the resort at the end of the day: you ski in the shade.
Finally, the third access to the La Plagne ski area is Champagny in Vanoise, really on the other side of the Grande Rochette massif. It is accessed by the road that leads to the Three Valleys, to Bozel. In Champagny en Vanoise, a small traditional village of wooden chalets, you forget the modern buildings and noisy resorts. Located due south, facing the Vanoise massif, the site is very beautiful. A gondola lift provides access to the La Plagne ski area, and sometimes to go back down when the return slopes of the "Bois" and the terrible "Mont de la Guerre" lack snow because of their full southern exposure. It is a nice option that allows you to ski easily on the very sunny side of the La Plagne ski area.

The La Plagne Ski Area
The La Plagne ski area is linked to that of the resort des Arcs by a cable car, the Vanoise Express (between the Coches and Vallandry sectors) within the Paradiski ski area. The package for the Paradiski area being more expensive than that of La Plagne only, I advise you to take a "La Plagne" pass to ski for the day, and if you ski for a week, you normally benefit from a free "Paradiski" day (to be checked) which you can take advantage of to discover the ski resort of Les Arcs and its vast area.
Some facts.
The La Plagne ski area has 73 ski lifts serving 133 ski slopes spread over 225 kilometres. There's plenty to do!
Paradiski , the union between the ski areas of La Plagne and Les Arcs, doubles the skiing area. You can ski on 425 km of trails, spread over 258 slopes served by 129 ski lifts.
70% of the area is located above 2000 meters above sea level: there is therefore no problem with snow during the season. The area is open from mid-December to the end of April.
In this article I will tell you about the La Plagne ski area. If you want to know more about the part of Paradiski that is located in the Les Arcs area, you can read the article that refers to it.
In La Plagne, you ski towards the four cardinal points. You can therefore organize your ski day according to the course of the sun, to always ski in the sun.
The slopes to the east, sunny in the morning, are the one in Aime 2000 and the one above Les Coches, in the Arpette sector. In the evening, the slopes that go back down towards Belle Plagne are very sunny. On the front part of the massif, the one that looks at Mont Blanc, the Isère valley and the north, the sun shows its face from mid-morning, and depending on the valleys disappears in the early or mid-afternoon (it also depends on the season, of course). On the other hand, to ski in the sun all the time you have to go to the other side of the massif, the one that looks south and the Vanoise: between the Roche de Mio and the Verdons along the very beautiful and long Levasset slope.
In La Plagne, there is something for all types of skiers. The majority are blue runs, wide and practical for family skiing. They are often very long and very panoramic, which allows you to enjoy a long skiing time compared to the ascent time. The most beautiful blue runs are Levasset, Rossa, Bozelet, Verdons, Capella, Arolles, Arpette, Teppes and Mont Blanc.

The red slopes are wide and fast. Good skiers enjoy themselves there. From Roche de Mio, the Inversens and Sources slopes are engaging. On the La Plagne Centre side, the slopes that descend from Bécoin offer great thrills. Finally, on the Verdons side, the Kamikaze and the Hara-Kiri are aptly named.
As for black runs, they are most often moguls or natural. Personally, it's not really my thing (in this case I prefer to ski next to a slope between the lift posts in fresh snow). The Bosses slope in the Verdons Sud sector is very engaging: it is a field of very hollowed moguls from start to finish. The Mio is short but offers great sensations. But fans of black slopes have fun on the nature slopes accessible from Bécoin, above La Plagne Centre, in a valley where there are only black slopes. On the other side of the area, from the Glacier and Inversens area, many black slopes descend into valleys where nature reigns supreme (the Dérochoir slope for example)
On the other hand, if we like skiing in the forest or if you are forced to do so by white-out conditions, you have to go down towards Les Coches, La Plagne 1800 and Montalbert. This part of the area then becomes interesting and pleasant. For example, the slopes around the Roche chairlift are very sporty… and sometimes frozen! So be careful.
The landscapes from the La Plagne Ski Area
Without a doubt, it is one of the French ski areas from which one can take the most beautiful photos. It is a 360 degree ski area. To the north, Mont Blanc and its entire massif. We see more of the Italian side of the chain, therefore the rocky side. But the higher we go, the more majestic it becomes and stands out from the other massifs.
Still heading north, we take advantage of the Beaufortain, just opposite. We can easily recognize the truncated silhouette of Pierre Menta, the emblematic summit of this region.
Below, you can admire the Isère valley (the Tarentaise), with the town of Bourg Saint Maurice, the resort of La Rosière and the Petit Saint Bernard pass.
Areas around the Mio Rock, we have a beautiful view of the Bellecôte glacier and the Aiguille Rouge (which dominates the Arcs resort).
Towards the south, when skiing in the sun between La Roche de Mio and the Verdons, you can admire the entire massif of the Vanoise. You can see the Courchevel resort and its ski area. The best viewpoint is at the Chalet de la Rossa where you can take a break and quench your thirst.
Finally, you have to enjoy a sunset at least once, from Arpette or from La Bergerie. The colors are magnificent.

Is there anything else to do in La Plagne besides skiing?
For a resort scattered in hamlets like La Plagne, it is very difficult to answer. Indeed, each hamlet has its own activities. And sometimes the other hamlets are difficult to access although shuttles connect at least all the sites between Belle Plagne and Plagne Centre.
All the information is on the La Plagne website: https://www.la-plagne.com/savourez-une-multitude-d-activites/immergez-vous-au-coeur-de-l-hiver
However, in La Plagne there are some unique activities that you can do in addition to skiing.
First of all, you can enjoy the high speed of a bobsleigh experience on the Olympic track. This is accessible to all (by reservation) at the end of the afternoon after the sports club training sessions. It is located in La Plagne 1800. You can practice the Bob Raft, with four passengers, which goes up to 80 km/h, the Speed Luge, alone, at 90 km/h and the Bob Racing, with a pilot who takes you at 120 km/h.
For sledding enthusiasts, there are many areas provided for this purpose with long slopes, such as the Colorado, on which you can also try Snooc, an alternative slide between sledding and skiing.
As in all the resorts, you will find zip lines at Belle Plagne and Aime 2000, and snowshoe hikes to enjoy the silence of the snowy landscapes.
Since the 2024-2025 season, you can board on Aerolive for a strong sensation in the void. You leave from the Roche de Mio towards the Glacier at an altitude of 3000 meters and you make the crossing in a somewhat special cabin since it is completely open. You are on a wire mesh platform that lets you see the void beneath your feet and the cabin has no doors or windows. Attached by a harness to a central bar you feel the wind, the speed and the void… Also by reservation.
Among the beautiful experiences, you can spend a night in a snow groomer converted into a cocoon to find yourselves alone at the top of a mountain and admire the sunrise over Mont Blanc. There is even a whirlpool bath for a romantic bath!
The Deep Nature Spa in Belle Plagne allows you to enjoy a moment of relaxation in heated outdoor pools.
For lovers of dogs and the Great North, dog sledding or cani-rando outings are also possible.
Small bars and restaurants welcome you for dinners with family, friends or lovers. There are some in all the hamlets that make up the resort of La Plagne
Personally, I am very attached to La Plagne because the skiing is good there, you can enjoy the scenery, the restaurants are good and ultimately the quality-price ratio is excellent.
Is the station overloaded in high season. You just have to know how to avoid critical moments so as not to make unnecessary queues. For those who spend a week from Saturday to Saturday, arrive early in the afternoon to collect the equipment. From 17 p.m. on Saturday, it's crazy. Avoid that!
On the slopes, the critical moment is the gathering of the schools. Once this moment has passed, head to the top of the ski area and there will be almost no one to disturb you, even in high season. And if you can, ski between 12pm and 14pm: the slopes are empty even in high season!
Happy skiing holidays in La Plagne.
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